This invention pertains to dental instruments and is more particularly concerned with apparatus for retracting dental instruments.
Dental instruments such as syringes, drills, aspirators, scalers and electrosugery probes are often stored in a console or dental unit instrument delivery. The instruments are connected to supplies by means of flexible supply lines. A number of retraction schemes are known which include mechanisms associated with the dental unit.
At least one scheme exerts a small but constant pull upon each dental instrument. This force is easily countered by the dentist when he is using the instrument, but upon release of the instrument, it is retracted to the dental unit. In other arrangements there is no retraction force upon the line while the instrument is in use. When the instrument is returned to the dental unit, the dentist must either pull the hose to release a locking mechanism or to touch a switch or other activator on the dental unit. Both arrangements cause the dentist to perform a superfluous movement.
It is the object of this invention to provide a retraction activator for causing retraction of an extended dental instrument into storage in a dental unit when the dental instrument is simply passed near the dental unit.